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Feeding.

Hey guys. My 26 wk old monster is being a real pain eating her food. Wat do I do. I know she likes James wellbeloved dry food to which we either add chicken or wet food. But she just is fussy pants. Been for vet check etc . She would eat treats all day if we let her. Any ideas. I know people will say she will eat if she is hungry but she can go while day without as she is stubborn .

Don't give up!!! My Jazz is 15 months and she can still be a fussy eater, she refused breakfast quite often and I felt so bad for her and used to send food with her to doggie day care as I worried about her getting hungry.....I finally stopped doing that and guess what, she eats her breakfast when I give it to her now as she realises she isn't getting any later on!

Be strong, dogs won't allow themselves to starve and in my experience they will happily graze their dinner all day if we give them a chance. Leave food down for 20 mins or so and if its not eaten then, pick it up until next mealtime... She'll get the hangof it soon enough.....it's just us humans can't resist to beautiful brown eyes when they plead at us to feed them!!

It just takes training and patience. Without any fuss, place her food down, if after 15-20 mins she doesn't eat, just pick it up again without any fuss. It is important to NOT give treats in between, this way she will be hungry for the next scheduled meal time. Make sure you keep plenty of water available. In a few days she'll be running to eat her food!

I agree with the others. Remember your puppy is a puppy and will go in and out of growth spurts...this means her eating habits will go up and down too. I would cut out her normal treats and be giving pieces of her kibble instead but ONLY AS TRAINING TREATS and even then I would keep in minimal. Stick to the same feeding schedule, give her to 15-20 minutes then pick up the bowl with no fuss. Cavalier's are super smart and can even "train" their owners oh yeah and she will not starve herself just to be stubborn.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

Bentley was our very first house pet ever so we had no idea what we were doing. I was feeding him 3 times a day and adding a tiny piece of chicken to his bowl of kibble so he'd at least come & sniff it. That would cause him to eat his meals. When he became too fat the vet asked me how often I was feeding him and he straightened me out on that right away. He's 2 1/2 years now and eats his 1/2 cup of kibble for breakfast and another 1/2 cup for dinner. That's all he gets except a very tiny treat a few times a day (and I do mean tiny!) He never turns down his meals. I was just thinking about this today.....how far he has come on all levels--potty, feeding, etc.

Try a dehydrated raw food that you mix with water - it's much tastier, and healthier, than a dry kibble (although I cant say personally but the dogs sure do love it). I have tried honest kitchen and NRG and have found both equally good. Gracie gets 1/4 cup twice a day and Lady gets 1/3 cup x2 daily. They go absolutely nuts as soon as I take out their bowls.

Also I second what the others say about limiting treats. Feed twice daily, let the bowl sit for 15-20 minutes and whatever is left goes in the garbage. No more food until the next meal! They wont starve themselves!

Courtney
Lady (1.5 year old tricolour) & Gracie (4 year old blenheim)"Happiness is a warm puppy" - Charles M. Schulz

dogs will hold off on their kibble especially if they know theyre getting something that will be tastier at some point in the day. i feed my cavalier honest kitchen, i would try using that, its fun to make and has great ingredients. the company is awesome, i sent them an email and someone got back to me personally and asked for my address and sent me several samples for free. they came within a couple days.